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Hard question!

There are a lot of choices, from plastic (takes lots of abuse) to fiberglass (faster hulls) to kevlar (highest performance) to wood (the best!!)

The next biggest factor is length and width. The longer a boat is, the less likely it will be affected by the wind and the more likely it will track straight. Wider boats tend to feel more stable (at first) but, the very things that make it feel stable, make it very easy for waves to overturn it.

Then there are a lot of other things that are minor, but make a big difference. Deck rigging, day hatches, seat backs, foot pegs, rudders, skegs, cockpit size, etc., all need to be considered.

What will you be using the kayak for? Camping (high volume), quiet tidal waters (wider), surfing (very short), open water crossings (low volume), rolling (very low volume) all use slightly different boats. Of course, regardless of which you have, you will no doubt use it for something else. At least until you have 5 or 6!

The best way to find out what kind of boat suits you best is to test paddle as many as you can before buying.

I would be using it on the ocean. Probably going on 3-4 hour trips or maybe a day trip. I found a dimension nomad kayak for sale in the area. I am going to check it out on saturday and possible take it out for a test run to see how I like it.

I looked at the dimension nomad kayak ( http://www.dimensionkayak.com/en/nomad.html ) Saturday. The woman selling it, she does kayaking tours, and every few years she sells some of her used kayaks and gets new ones. It was in good shape, scratched a bit on the bottom, but I expected that, and the colour was faded but that didnt bother me. Didn't get to take it out, cause it was very windy that day. She said she got it for around $1,100US and she is asking around $675US for it, and she will toss in the paddles and life jacket. Is that a good price... or not?

It looks like just the right boat for your intended needs. It is polyethelene, which means it will be a little heavy. As long as you can load/unload and launch it, weight has less to do with performance. It will certainly handle more abuse with less work and cost less than fiberglass, kevlar or wood. The length and width are right for coastal kayaking. I've never paddle one, so I don't know how big or small the cockpit is or what you might want.

$1,100 seems reasonable for the retail price. The only way you can tell what the used price should be is to look it over very carefull and try to get a deduction for anything that looks like it may need to be repaired or replaced. A new paddle can cost anywhere from 50 to 1,000. You are probably getting a lower cost paddle. New PFDs can be 25 to 200. Don't use any PFD that had dry rot or tears!

The bottom line is that it's worth what you want to pay. The price is important, but it is much more important to get the right boat.

10% additional

L.L.Beans will also give you 10% off on any additional accessories that you purchase with your kayak. Like a rack, or PFD, or any other kayak accessories. I bought mine last year from them, and have not been disappointed. Still.....it always pays to shop around. And as always, try to find a place where you can try it, before you buy it.

Why not live life like it is your last day....instead of pretending to be a member of the Peter Pan Club and believing you will be around forever.